Call to Arms: The Monsters Rise!

   The first month of my Tyranid Call to Arms project has passed, and there has been much modeling and gaming!

The Monster Swarm Rises!

   My theme for my 1,500 point Tyranid army is monsters. For thirty years 've been painting hordes of small-sized Tyranid creatures, like Genestealers and 'Gaunts, and so this time around I thought I would make an army out of nothing that didn't come on a 40mm base or larger. Classic 'Nid Zilla!

I have finished assembling and undercoating my models for the army. Here they are...

Winged Hive Tyrant

 
   Leading the monstrous swarm is my Winged Hive Tyrant. I wanted something that could fly, and therefore challenge other enemy fliers. Initially I outfitted him with a Heavy Venom Cannon, but after re-reading the 7th Edition rules I discovered that weapons with a blast template cannot target fliers. So, snap went the cannon, and instead I used some extra bits from my Tyrannofex to simulate a dual set of twin-linked Devourers with Brainleech Worms; very nasty stuff!

Tyrannofex

   If I was going to make a Tyranid monster list, I just had to take a Tyrannofex. Basically a small Bio-Titan, the Tyrannofex is super hard to kill, and sports a powerful anti-tank weapon. As my friend Scott pointed out, this model is big enough for a marine to stand underneath it and shoot it in the balls!

Trygon Prime

   Another huge-assed addition to my force is the Trygon Prime. Think giant, tunneling Synapse creature... and in this case include a massive Tyranid Artifact bio-cannon. I'm really, really looking forward to Deep Striking with this horror!

Carnifex

   Remember when Carnifexes were the biggest thing in a Tyranid army? Yeah... that decade has long since passed. This is the beastie I whipped up for the Build and Battle event in last month's post. He seems a little scrawny now, compared to his big brothers.

Tyranid Warriors

   It just wouldn't be an Andrew project if I didn't include some truly ancient models in the mix, so here I am pleased to introduce my selection of Tyranid Warriors from the 1990 classic Games Workshop game Advanced Space Crusade! I've spiced these old plastic models up by adding current-range weapons.

Ravenors

   I have old and new models in my monstrous swarm, so I've rounded it out with some mid-range metal Ravenors. These sneaky guys lend Fast Attack support to my Trygon Prime, and they add a third decade of models to my collection. 

Deathleaper

  
  Lastly I have added a Lictor, in this case a metal version of the dreaded Deathleaper. He was a gift from Jay Griffiths, and Deathleaper's Canadian origins make him a must-have for any self-respecting Canadian 'Nid player.

   I've played in two Call to Arms events since the Build and Battle. The first was a scrappy HQ fight. My Hive Tyrant wasn't available for the fight, so I substituted a Tyranid Prime. He fought well, but he was ultimately chopped to pieces... Twice! Here he is about to meet his doom at the hands of a Khorne Champion.

Going down fighting

   The second event was a 300 point Kill Team tournament. I squared off against Ravenwing, Harelquins and even other Tyranids! My all-Genestealer force fought well, but I still lost two games and tied one. My high-point came when my 'stealers managed to kill the Harlequin's leader!

Eating some Space Marine Bikes

Murdering the Boss Murder Clown

The Swarm versus the Swarm

   Now Stage 2 begins... Painting!

   Have a Happy Holidays, and I'll see you all in the New Year!
-Andrew

Call to Arms: The Tyranid Attack!

   The Sinclair Memorial Home for Incurable Tyrants is under attack! Tyranid bio-constructs have begun swarming the hills of Ancaster. Every loyal soldier of the Imperium must rise to the defence of th---Guurrckk--Aaaaaaack---Blaaaargh!!!

   This year started with my first tentative step towards building a Tyranid army for Warhammer 40,000, (see here) and so, fittingly, it's going to end with the same project. Thanks to the good people at Black Knight Games, I've signed up for their 14-week Call to Arms painting challenge, and bugs are on the menu!

    A Call to Arms event is a painting challenge where each victim sacrifice nutter participant must complete a fresh 1500 point Warhammer 40,000 army from unpainted to finished by the deadline; In this case Sunday, February 21st.

   Easy, right?

   Right.

   As part of the fun, and to keep us on schedule, Black Knight is hosting a series of events from now until the end. Each one has its own theme, and ultimately will build to a full-scale tournament and a campaign! The whole thing kicked off on Saturday the 14th, and the first event, a Build and Battle, was Tuesday.

 

   Starting promptly at 6pm each player had exactly one hour to assemble a vehicle or monstrous creature, then we all brought our creations to the gaming table to fight it out to the last man/monster/alien. Here's a shot of me frantically gluing big-assed claws onto a Tyranid Carnifex.

"Wait... Where's my Tyranid cannon sprue?!"

   My original plan called for me to mount a big Venom Cannon to my Carnifex beast, but upon arriving at the store I discovered I'd left those pieces behind! Quickly I rethought my plan and made my huge alien monster into a close-combat tank crusher. When the hour was up we all headed to the table.

Fightin' Time!

   Battle commenced with half-built war machines scattered across the table, including a Land Raider with no doors or hatches, and a Tau giant robot with no legs! Each partially completed unit was given a special limitation, to simulate its half-finished condition. Luckily I had completed my beastie on time, so there where no penalties for my Carnifex. I chased the legless Tau across the table, but at the crucial moment I failed my charge by a measly one inch! So close!

   My monster ended up dying first, but it was still great fun, and an easy start for me, as this is only my second game of the current edition of 40K. Stay tuned as I post future events, and showcase my progress on my painting.

And thanks as always for visiting the S.M.H.I.T.!
-Andrew

Scyla, Druchala, and Stampy the Mammoth

   Deep in the Warnasium, in the dungeons of the Home for Incurable Tyrants, the painting forges have been glowing with the tainted lustre of Chaos.  Ancient relics of an antediluvian age have been dredged up and, with dark rituals of colour, they have been reborn. Their names...  Scyla Anfingrimm and Dechala the Denied One.

Scyla Anfingrimm, Champion of Khorne

Dechala the Denied One, Champion of Slaanesh

   Those ancient gamers among you may recall these models as being part of the range of releases for the Warhammer 5th Edition supplement Champions of Chaos, released by Games Workshop back in 1998.

Champions of Chaos

   Interestingly, Scyla has survived multiple editions of Warhammer since then, and has had no less than two newer versions of himself released over the years. I always liked this first version, though. There's something about the snarling dog-like visage that seems very Khorne-like to me.

   Druchala wasn't as lucky, and never returned as a character in the game.  She did, however, enjoy a brief cameo in the novels of the End Times, so I couldn't resist her snaky charms.

   After finishing these two I packed up my cockatrice, Fort Kickass, and the rest of my Chaos army and headed over to Black Knight Games here in Hamilton for a game against my friend Jay Mason-Grant.  We faced off in a Chaos versus Chaos battle of Age of Sigmar.  Challenging the might of Fort Kickass was Jay's Marauder army, led by the mighty and terrifying Forge World War Mammoth Stampy!

Stampy and company versus Fort Kickass

   To celebrate the festive mood of slaughter, a suitable decoration was found for Fort Kickass... Khorne balloon!

Yup... It's upside-down (Shhhh!)

   The game was, like all my Age of Sigmar games, a fun-filled slaughter-fest.  Stampy wasted no time in charging the fort, trumpeting his warcry and stamping all in his path!

RAAAAAARGHH!!!

   On the left flank Scyla lived up to his fearsome and bloodthirsty reputation, single handedly devouring an entire unit of Marauder Cavalry over the course of several turns.

Scyla knows only rage

   Stampy raged against the fort, even as hordes of Chaos warriors and beasts fought back against him.  The Chaos Gods themselves rejoiced in our madness, causing the weirdest gravity-defying cocked die I have ever seen!

I swear this is how it landed!

   Druchala was joined by warriors, a dragon, the cockatrice and others in finally bringing the dreaded mammoth down, but not before Stampy lived up to his namesake and stamped my cockatrice into mushy paste!

Stampy stamps hard

   With Stampy's defeat the Marauders were routed, but fun and laughs were had by all. Thanks again to Jay for a great game, and thank you for taking the time to read about our adventures!

See you soon!
-Andrew

Big Black Cockatrice

   Ever have one of those times when you buy a model kit, and it sits in your closet for a decade or more waiting for love and attention?

   This is one of those times.

   Waiting patiently in my closet has been this dreaded fellow... a Cockatrice!

Bwaaaarkkk!

   This old fellow is a Marauder Miniatures, specifically number 'MM44 - Cockatrice', released in 1990. The poor guy has been sitting in darkness for twenty-fie years, waiting... waiting...

   Why black, you say? Surely a cockatrice is colourful. Well, yes, normally, but I had a special goal. My family crest features a black cock.

Black Chicken of Death

   'cough'.

   Shush!!

   It's a symbol of our Norman roots, commemorating the lands of northern France where our family came from!

   I wanted to paint this cockatrice in colours that echoed my family's heraldry. Looking for inspiration I GOOGLE'd images of 'black cock', and, after a few false starts, I found a picture of this magnificent fellow.

Now that is a shiny black cock.

   My cockatrice didn't really have feathers, as such, but I thought the effect would be similar. I mixed some Army Painter Deep Blue and Matt Black with a hint of Gun Metal, and lightly drybrushed it over a black basecoat to get this effect. I think it turned out rather well. (As a side note, I think I might try this for some Genestealer/Aliens figures.)

Shiny

   The cockatrice uses its powerful magic gaze to turn its victims to stone. To emphasize this I added a poor en-stoned victim to the model's base. This is a Foundry pirate dead guy I had in a bits box. He seemed to fit the bill.

Looming over his kill

   So there it is! Thanks for checking out my black chicken of death! He'll be joining my Chaos army, along with a few more baddies gracing my painting bench right now.

   ...and thanks as always for checking out my mad corner of the web!
-Andrew

Your Authority is not Recognized in Fort Kickass!

   Ever have one of those times when you buy a model kit, and it sits in your closet for a decade or more waiting for love and attention?

   This isn't one of those times.
 
   Last Saturday I attended the Battle of the Scrolls Warhammer: Age of Sigmar event at Black Knight Games in Hamilton. I finally got to throw down with my friend (and store owner) Jay Mason-Grant, in an Empire vs. Empire scrap. I also had the pleasure of being beaten to a pulp by a couple of friendly chaps; namely Davin (and his Skaven) and Mark (and his Lizardmen).
 
   While at the store I fell under the spell of Games Workshop's newest release, the Chaos Dreadhold. This multi-kit scenery set is the 21st century answer to the old Mighty Fortress, with spikes and skulls! There are ten different configurations of this monster kit, ranging from a single tower to a monstrous fortress running in the $1,400CDN price range! Realizing that my poor Chaos Lord needed a home, I broke down and bought the Overlord Bastion set.
 
   Now, a mere week later, I present Fort Kickass!

Fort Kickass!

 

  

You have no authority here!

   This fort is literally covered with skulls. Skulls on the walls, skulls in the walls, even the floors are paved with skulls! Of course, no self-respecting Chaos Lord would have it any other way.

Skulls!

Skulls in the walls! 

Skulls in the floors!

   Like all good scenery pieces the Overlord Bastion comes with plenty of cool rules, including screaming gargoyle heads that can shatter your opponent's bravery, or rain hot death down upon those foolish enough to get close to the walls.

Spikey!

Fear me!!

   My bastion has already faced one assault. An unholy alliance of Connor's Lizardmen and Scott's Dark Elves swarmed (literally) the ramparts with waves of sneaky Skinks and snakes, not to mention more than a few crazed Elf chicks! In the end my defeat wasn't so much about their strength, as it was about my sorcerer angering the Chaos Gods and being turned into dust on the second turn.

Connor and Scott preparing to challenge my au-tho-ri-tie!

   Fort Kickass stands ready to face the next challenge! If you think you have what it takes, bring your little mans to my Warnasium and lets throw down!

And thanks for visiting the Sinclair Memorial Home for Incurable Tyrants!
-Andrew

Warhammer in The Hammer! The Finale!

   With Chaos reinforcements flooding both flanks, our epic game of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar looked as if it was at the end for the forces of Order! And now the finale of Warhammer in The Hammer!

   The right flank of Order's line had been pounced upon by Chaos Knights and even more Chaos Knights. With the loss of their Damsel and her spells, it was a harrowing fight for the Bretonnians. The Grail Knights stood strong and drove off many of the enemy.

Run away, you Chaos Ka-nigits!

   Angered at the Bretonnians tenacity the General of the Dark Army Sent the Ogre Tyrant, a unit of Chaos Warriors and even summoned a horde of deamonic Bloodletters to finish them off!

For The Lady!!

   In the centre Big Jays undead forces swarmed into the fight with Craig's Lizardmen. The skeleton Warriors charged out of the Watchtower while the Zombies swarmed the fields.

Fierce battles for the centre

   The Ogres had cut down all the Skinks save one unit of thirty, which held the Chapel along with a Skink Priest. The Ogres surrounded the small building and began shaking and pounding it, swallowing up Skinks whole as they fell from rafters and windows.

Come out come out wherever you are!

   Out on the left flank Bills Empire army had lost its Cannon, and its unit of Knights, but the brave State Troops, along with Saurus Cavalry, had held against the Slaaneshi rush.

Halberds and Handguns

   This success was an omen for the future. On the right the Grail Knights died hard, taking many Chaos Warriors and Bloodletters with them, and still the Lord on his Pegasus remained...

   In the centre the Ogres could not shift the Skinks from their sanctuary, while each turn the Skinks killed a few more Ogres...

   In the centre the hordes of Undead slaughtered many Saurus Warriors, but in turn they lost an unsustainable number of troops...

Can you spot the last surviving Saurus Warrior?

   As the sun set on this titanic battle, (i.e. we reached our 2am cut off time), The butchers bill of casualties was tallied. Of the 207 Order soldiers that had taken the field, 147 had met their end. Of the foul Chaos and Undead, 152 of their starting 176 models had been killed.

   Order had lost 71% casualties, but Chaos had lost 86%! Order was victorious! Chaos had pounded their enemy, but by summoning so many reinforcements they made it possible for the good guys to kill many more models, thus tipping the scale.

   I hope you've enjoyed our epic game of Warhammer in The Hammer. Since this one I've played a dozen more games of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, and have lots more to share!


   ...and thanks again for visiting my little corner of the interwebs!
-Andrew

Warhammer in The Hammer! Part III

   With both flanks engaged in combat, and legions of troops flooding into the centre of the board, our epic game of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar was well and truly joined! And now Part III of Warhammer in The Hammer! 

 

 
   On the right flank Andrew's Bretonnian Grail Knights dispelled the ghostly swarms, and his Paladin and Lord carved a bloody ruin through the Chaos Knights, but not before those same knights had run down and destroyed the Lord's loyal retinue of Peasant Bowmen. Just when it seemed that Order had won the battle on the right, another group of Chaos Knights swept in from the rear, running down the poor Damsel of the Lady.
 
 

The tragic death of The Lady

 
   In centre-right John's Ogres plowed headlong into Connor's Skinks and Saurus. The Lizardmen fought bravely, and inflicted many casualties, but the Ogres wore them down, (and ate them up!). Soon only the Skinks fortified in the Chapel remained. All was not lost for them, though... the Chapel's special ability means Order units don't need to take Bravery tests. They fight to the finish!
  

Tastes like chicken!

 
   In the centre-left dusty old Lord Kroak (looking a lot like Craig) lead his Saurus and Kroxigors into the courtyard of the Watchtower, and were immediately slammed into by a host of Chaos Warrior Knights. Jason's Skeletons in the tower and the Zombies by the fence watched on in amusement as the knights began cleaving their way through the Lizardmen. 
 

Red armoured death

 
   On the left flank Bill's Empire Knights charged home against Scott's Dreadspears, and his artillery blasted huge gaps in the Slannesh Cult's line. The Seekers of Slaanesh were overwhelmed and cut down by Empire and Lizardman forces, even as the Dreadlord and his Witch Elves raced to try and join the fight.
 

The Seekers are found... wanting

 
   Order looked poised to wrap up the left flank, but again the General of the Dark Army revealed his cunning, and seemingly limitless supply of Chaos forces. From out of the dust of battle a Chaos Warrior Chariot suddenly loomed, and crashed into the Empire artillery!
 

Where the hell did that come from? Exactly.

 
   It appears that the forces of Order have underestimated their foes, and will now pay the price. Stay tuned next as we chronicle their final, desperate fight against the hordes of Chaos!
  
 

Kill them all!!!

 
     ...and, as always, thank you for visiting my little corner of the web!
-Andrew